Shovel or spade.



,N. G. ROBERTSON.

SHOVEL 0R SPADE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 3,1914.

1,150,626. Patented Aug. 17; 1915.-

FIGI. Ham".

Wdmoees COLUMBIA PLANMBAPH COHWASHINGTON, D. c.

NATHANIEL G. ROBERTSON, on SQRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

SHOVEL on srlimi.

Specification of LettersIPatent. Patented Aug. 17, 1915.

Application filed November 3, 1914. Serial No. 870,009.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NATHANIEL G. ROB- ERTSON, residing at Scranton, in the county of Laclrawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shovels or Spades, whereof the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to a threeplece shovel or spade, consisting of handle, socketpiece and blade.

It is charaoteristicof my invention that the socket-piece consists of a single malleable casting terminating in an upper and lower tongue between which the upper edge of the blade is secured by riveting. In the main the tongues of the socket-piece conform to the shape of the surfaces of the blade to which they are attached, but to strengthen the implement, the lower tongue is provided with a reverse curve along its median axis providing a space at this point between the curvature of the blade, and that of the lower tongue which space is bridged by the rivet uniting the two.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I, is a shovel embodying my invention. Fig. II, is a sectional view of the l ower part of the shovel along its median axis. Fig. III, is an enlarged perspective view of the socketpiece. Fig. IV, is an enlarged cross sectional view along the line IV, IV, of Fig. I.

The handle 1, may be of wood and of any appropriate or standard construction.

The socket-piece 2, is a single malleable iron casting. It comprises a socket 3, an upper tongue 4, and a lower tongue 5, the lower tongue being considerably larger than the upper.

The blade 6, may be of any appropriate contour. It is provided with a strengthening corrugation along the median line. This corrugation projects forward and extends from the top of the blade to the neighborhood of its center. The sloping sides of this corrugation are continued to a point beyond the edges of the lower tongue 5.

Both the upper tongue and the lower tongue have their surfaces which are in contact with the blade, formed to accord thereto. A result of this is that the outer portions of the lower tongue instead of being in a plane parallel to the main plane of the blade, are inclined to each other as shown in Fig. IV, to correspond to the slope caused by the median corrugation of the blade with which they come in contact.

.The lower tongue is provided with a strengthening median corrugation 10, having a curvature opposed in direction to that of the median corrugations of the blade, whereby a considerable space is provided between the two which is bridged by the rivet 7, which unites the tongues at this point, piercing the blade and both tongues. The blade is additionally attached to the socket piece by rivets 8, passing through the outer portions of the lower tongue where the blade is in close contact with said tongue. Shoulders or ledges 11, are provided at the upper end of the median corrugation where the lower tongue merges into the socket piece, which cooperate with the upper tongue to firmly secure the upper edge of the blade, where it passes across the median corrugation.

The corrugation 10, has a depth such that its apex projects as far as or below the lower surface of the blade at either side. From this it results that said corrugation, in addition to strengthening the socket-piece, acts as a guard, the ordinary wear on the back of the shovel being taken up by this projecting corrugation instead of by the back of the blade. The heads of the rivets 8, are considerably protected against wear by reason of the inclined position of the edges of the lower tongue at the points where they are situated. This is in addition to the protection which is afforded there by the project ing corrugation 10.

The opposed curvature of the blade and of the lower tongue at the point where they are united by the rivet 7 enables this rivet to unite the parts under tension, rendering the connection elastic and strengthening the shovel at the point of maximum strain.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. In a shovel or spade, the combination of a socket-piece formed of a single integral malleable casting having upper and lower tongues, the lower tongue being larger than theupper one and provided with an axial median corrugation with inclined sides, a blade the upper part of which is provided with a median corrugation opposedto that of the lower tongue, whereby space is provided at this point between the tongue and the blade, and a rivet passing through said no malleable casting, terminating in upper and lower tongues, between which the upper I edge of the .blade is secured, thelower tongue being longer than the upper and provided with a downwardly curved median corrugation, and a ledge at the upper end where the lower tongue mergesinto the socketpiece, which cooperates with the up per tongue to firmly secure the upper edge signed my name at Scranton Pa. this 30th day of October 1914. ,7 a a NATHANIEL G. ROBERTSON.

'Witriesses:

A. C. STEVENS, JESSE W. LEWIS.

byte; of this patent maybe obtained for five cents each; by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, ILG. 

